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Stay out of flood water, health department warns

Flooded streets and yards have been a tempting attraction to children home from school today, but intentionally walking around or playing in flood waters is a very bad idea, health department spokesman Tim O’Connor said today.

“People should really avoid those waters,” he said. “They contain any number of contaminants. It’s runoff. There’s fertilizers and tree limbs, yard waste, and if people in the area have a septic tank, there could be contamination from that. The storm drains overflowed and are bubbling up.”

Germs like E. coli can be rampant in such waters.

The Florida Department of Health recommends that anyone who has been in flood waters sanitize and clean everything that touched the water, he said.

“We just want to make sure that children and especially kids use good sanitary procedures. Shower. Wash clothes thoroughly. Especially clean any open wounds,” he said.

For flooded homes or cars, to avoid mold, people need to dry the property out quickly, and sanitize surfaces with a diluted chlorine bleach solution. One teaspoon of bleach per gallon of water is typically used.

Soaked drywall must be removed.
People who rely on well water have more work to do. If the well head was underwater, they mustn’t drink the water until they disinfect the well. Information on how to do that is available from the Department of Health, http://www.pbchd.com, 561-671-4014.

The health departments offices are all open as usual, despite some minor roof flooding in the 45th Street clinic and in the parking lots of the Lantana and Delray Beach clinics, he said.

26.504503-80.073155

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